Abraham Lincoln vs An autobiography: Which Should You Read?
Both live on shelves: Hommes d'État, Statesmen, Biography & Memoir, History
Abraham Lincoln
This definitive, single-volume edition of the Pulitzer Prize–winning biography delivers “a Lincoln whom no other man . . . could have given us” (New York Herald Tribune Book Review). Celebrated for his vivid depictions…
vs
An autobiography
“The Gandhis belong to the Bania caste and seem to have been originally grocers. But for three generations, from my grandfather, they have been Prime Ministers in several Kathiawad States.”
Gandhi's non-violent struggles against racism, violence, and colonialism in South Africa and India had brought him to such a level of notoriety, adulation that when asked to write an autobiography midway through his…
The verdict
- Ratings are close across the board — any is a safe pick by score.
- An autobiography is the quickest read — about 8 hours vs 14 for Abraham Lincoln.
- An autobiography has the widest readership — 11236 ratings behind its score.
How to choose
Scores by source
| Abraham Lincoln | An autobiography | |
|---|---|---|
| Goodreads | 4.3 (5497) | 4.5 (11236) |
| Hardcover | 3.0 (1) | 3.8 (43) |
| Google Books | — | 5.0 (1) |
| Apple Books | 4.5 (21) | — |
Reception
| Abraham Lincoln | An autobiography | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 5497 | 11236 |
| Editions | 74 | 140 |
| Film adaptations | 1 | 1 |
| Want to read | 8394 | — |
| Reading it now | 206 | — |
| Written reviews | 254 | — |
| Wikipedia attention | 341194 | — |
| Pages | 762 | 455 |